Enrollment
348
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Ridgewood, NJ
Orchard Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Orchard Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 341383000780
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 89
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Orchard Elementary School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of New Jersey schools.
- #2 of 6
- elementary schools in Ridgewood · Resource Index
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.4:1
- large classes for New Jersey
- 5.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Orchard Elementary School has class sizes larger than 80% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard Elementary School ranks #2 of 6 elementary schools in Ridgewood, NJ.
School address
District: Ridgewood Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341383000780 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
5.8%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-80% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Orchard Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Orchard Elementary School
Orchard Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Ridgewood, New Jersey, enrolling 348 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.4:1 puts it in the larger third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 5.8% of students eligible for free meals.
With 348 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 600 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #218.
Its student body is led by White (58%) and Asian (17%) (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 348 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Ridgewood Public School District also operates Ridgewood High School (1,740 students) and George Washington Middle School (644 students) alongside Orchard Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Orchard Elementary School compares
Orchard Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against New Jersey and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▲ 14% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 5.8% | ▼ 80% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 348 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
348
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
5.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 80% below the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 80% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
4.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$22,652
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Jersey avg of $24,984
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 348 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 58.0%
Asian 17.0%
Hispanic or Latino 15.2%
Two or More 8.0%
African American 1.7%
Largest group: White at 58.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.5, Orchard Elementary School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ridgewood Public School District, which includes Orchard Elementary School.
$22,652
Per student
-9%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 74.9%
State 23.6%
Federal 1.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Orchard Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgewood High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| George Washington Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Benjamin Franklin Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ridge Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Willard Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Orchard Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,740
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 67/100
- Enrollment
- 644
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 627
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 66/100
- Enrollment
- 448
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 440
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New Jersey, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~348 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Orchard Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Orchard Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Ridgewood Public School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Orchard Elementary School
How many students attend Orchard Elementary School?
Orchard Elementary School has 348 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Ridgewood, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Orchard Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Orchard Elementary School is 13.4:1, which is 14% higher than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Orchard Elementary School?
5.8% of students at Orchard Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Orchard Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Orchard Elementary School is White at 58.0% of enrollment, in Ridgewood, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Orchard Elementary School?
Orchard Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Orchard Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Ridgewood?
By Resource Investment Index, Orchard Elementary School ranks #2 of 6 elementary schools in Ridgewood, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Ridgewood on the city page.
Is Orchard Elementary School a good school?
Orchard Elementary School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 80% of New Jersey schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Ridgewood Public School District?
Besides Orchard Elementary School, Ridgewood Public School District also operates Ridgewood High School (1,740 students), George Washington Middle School (644 students), and Benjamin Franklin Middle School (627 students). See the Ridgewood Public School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.